Unlike most of the Jimmy Smith recordings from the era, this CD reissue (which adds “If I Should Lose You” and “When Lights Are Low” to the original LP program) features organist Jimmy Smith’s regular group (rather than an all-star band). With guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Donald Bailey completing the trio, Smith is heard in peak form on swinging and soulful versions of such tunes as “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Makin’ Whoopee,” “Sonnymoon for Two,” and “Mack the Knife.” Despite claims and some strong challenges by others, there has never been a jazz organist on the level of Jimmy Smith.

Personnel: Jimmy Smith (organ); Quentin Warren (guitar); Donald Bailey (drums).

Tracklist

01. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
02. Makin’ Whoopee
03. A Night In Tunisia
04. Sonnymoon For Two
05. Mack The Knife
06. What’s New
07. Alfredo
08. If I Should Lose You
09. When Lights Are Low

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With a strong, smooth tone and an amazing flow of fresh ideas every time he soloed, tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks should have been a major jazz artist, but his legacy is confined to a series of dates that he did for Blue Note as a sideman and leader. “True Blue” is the only album under his own name to come out in his lifetime. He and Freddie Hubbard had recorded Hubbard’s “Open Sesame” a week earlier. Based on these two albums alone, Brooks should have been recognized as an important new voice in jazz. This CD adds to two alternate takes to the original LP.

Personnel: Tina Brooks (tenor saxophone); Tina Brooks; Sam Jones (double bass); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Duke Jordan (piano); Art Taylor (drums).

Tracklist

01. Good Old Soul
02. Up Tight’s Creek
03. Theme For Doris
04. True Blue
05. Miss Hazel
06. Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You
07. True Blue (Alternate Take)
08. Good Old Soul (Alternate Take)

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The Three Sounds open their signature sound a bit on the romantic Moods. They retain the same light touch that made their early albums so enjoyable, but they add more textures to the mix. Light Latin rhythms permeate Moods, from the inventive reworking of Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” to Harris’ original “Tammy’s Breeze.” Like its predecessor, Feelin’ Good, this record has a bluesy, soulful streak to its personality, as evidenced by the mellow take on “On Green Dolphin Street,” the hep swing of “Loose Walk,” and the infectious cover of Ellington’s “I’m Beginning to See the Light.” Occasionally, the Three Sounds play it a little too cool — while the slow, relaxed “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be” manages to be engaging, “Li’l Darlin’” slows down to a crawl — but on the whole, Moods is an endearing collection of appealing mainstream jazz.

Tracklist

01. Love For Sale
02. Things Ain’t What They Used To Be
03. On Green Dolphin Street
04. Loose Walk
05. Li’l Darlin’
06. I’m Beginning To See The Light
07. Tammy’s Breeze
08. Sandu

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John Coltrane’s work on Atlantic Records marked both his ascent as a leader and the refinement of his trademarked “sheets of sound” improvisational style. This 1961 release features Trane with a variety of celebrated bandmates: pianists Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, and McCoy Tyner, bassists Steve Davis and Paul Chambers, and drummers Lex Humphries, Jimmy Cobb, and Elvin Jones. Stylistically, Trane spans some diverse musical territory. There’s his down-home and hypnotic takes on the blues, “Village Blues” and the Thelonius Monk-like “Harmonique.” Coltrane and his crew poetically and rhythmically remake the standard “My Shining Hour,” and “Like Sonny,” a shout-out to Sonny Rollins, is a dancing Afro-Latin excursion. This date offers a preview of the important music that Coltrane, Tyner, and Jones would unleash in a few years before the saxophonist’s death in 1967.

Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Wynton Kelly, McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton (piano); Paul Chambers, Steve Davis (bass); Jimmy Cobb, Lex Humphries, Elvin Jones (drums).

Tracklist

01. Little Old Lad
02. Village Bluesy
03. My Shining Hour
04. Fifth House
05. Harmonique
06. Like Sonny
07. I’ll Wait And Pray
08. Some Other Blues
09. Like Sonny (Alternate Take)
10. I’ll Wait And Pray (Alternate Take)
11. Like Sonny (Alternate Take 5)
12. Village Blues (Alternate Take)

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Stanley Turrentine & the Three Sounds were initially featured together on an album called Blue Hour, which was a very relaxed and bluesy release. The spaciousness of “I Want a Little Girl” makes the listener savor every note, while “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You” is played with an almost identical tempo and feeling. Gene Harris’ “Blue Riff” picks up the pace a good bit, before “Since I Fell for You” and “Willow Weep for Me” once again slow the proceedings back to a late-night feeling. Turrentine’s tenor sax is in top form, while Harris is the consummate blues pianist in his supporting role. After the first CD reissue of Blue Hour went out of print, it was expanded into a two-CD set by Blue Note, with eight new unissued or alternate takes added on the second disc. It is apparent right away that the original producer Alfred Lion was correct in withholding most of these recordings from release. As well as Turrentine plays during “Blues in the Closet,” the rhythm section seems a bit stiff. Harris’ piano is too much in the background on “Just in Time,” while the pianist’s composition “Blue Hour” doesn’t seem to be fully formed as a blues vehicle. “Strike Up the Band” is the one truly up-tempo recording present on this release, but probably wasn’t issued previously because it is faded prematurely and it was so different from the producer’s concept for the originally conceived release. Regardless, since both Stanley Turrentine and Gene Harris passed away within a year of each other in 2000, having additional music made available featuring these two fine musicians is most welcome.

Personnel: Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Gene Harris (piano); Andrew Simpkins (bass); Bill Dowdy (drums).

Tracklist

CD1
01. I Want a Little Girl
02. Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You
03. Blue Riff
04. Since I Fell For You
05. Willow Weep For Me
CD2
01. Blues In The Closet
02. Just In Time
03. Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You
04. Where or When
05. Blue Hour
06. There Is No Greater Love
07. Alone Together
08. Strike Up The Band

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The complete original album Far Cry (Prestige/New Jazz 8270), featuring Eric Dolphy in a quintet format with another star who passed away before his time, trumpeter Booker Little. Among the many highlights are an outstanding version of the Billie Holiday-Mal Waldron ballad “Left Alone” and Dolphy’s unaccompanied alto sax reading of “Tenderly”. As a bonus, two tunes originally issued under the name the Jazz Artists Guild, both of which were recorded on the same date on November 1, 1960, and each featuring one of the stars of Far Cry: Dolphy on “T’Ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do”, and Little on “Cliff Walk”.

Personnel: Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet); Booker Little (trumpet); Jaki Byard (piano); Ron Carter (bass); Roy Haynes (drums).

Tracklist

01. Mrs. Parker Of K.C. (Bird’s Mother)
02. Ode To Charlie Parker
03. Far Cry
04. Miss Ann
05. Left Alone
06. Tenderly
07. It’s Magic
08. Serene

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Despite being a mainstay on many a Prestige and Blue Note session in the 1950s and ’60s, jazz drummer Art Taylor didn’t get much of the spotlight. That makes albums like Delight all the more valuable for lovers of the hard-bop drumming style (i.e., Philly Joe Jones, Max Roach). With the soulful tenor sax of Stanley Turrentine and the clean, spare swing of pianist Wynton Kelly coloring the ride, this disc more than lives up to its title.

Personnel: Art Taylor (drums); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Dave Burns (trumpet); Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul Chambers (bass instrument); Carlos “Patato” Valdes (congas).

Tracklist

01. Syeeda’s Song Flute
02. Epistrophy
03. Move
04. High Seas
05. Cookoo and Fungi
06. Blue Interlude

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Although he is best known for his bluesy soul-jazz outings, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine’s first Blue Note session as a leader was a much more traditional bop affair, and the resulting album, Look Out!, featuring a rhythm section of Horace Parlan on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Al Harewood on drums, shows as much artful restraint as it does groove. Not that this is a bad thing, since it allows Turrentine’s big, clear tone to shine through in all its muscular sweetness, giving Look Out! a wonderful and flowing coherence. Among the highlights here are the pretty ballad “Journey Into Melody” and the gently funky “Little Sheri.”

Personnel: Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Stanley Turrentine; George Tucker (bass instrument); Horace Parlan (piano); Al Harewood (drums).

Tracklist

01. Look Out
02. Journey Into Melody
03. Return Engagement
04. Little Sheri
05. Tiny Capers
06. Minor Chant
07. Tin Tin Deo
08. Yesterdays
09. Little Sheri (45 Version)

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Bassist Sam Jones’ debut as a leader resulted in one of his finest recordings, Jones is well featured on bass while the other four numbers find him playing very effective cello. The uncredited arrangements for the groups are uniformly excellent and there is solo space for cornetist Nat Adderley, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, Jimmy Heath on tenor, baritonist Charles Davis, and pianist Bobby Timmons. The repertoire is superior, too, with highlights including the debut of Adderley’s “The Old Country,” a fine jam on “Just Friends,” Keter Betts’ “Some Kinda Mean,” Jones’ bowing on “Home,” and Bobby Timmons’ “So Tired.” Actually all eight selections are memorable on this highly recommended disc.

Personnel: Sam Jones (cello, bass); Jimmy Heath (tenor saxophone); Charles Davis (baritone saxophone); Nat Adderley (cornet); Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Bobby Timmons (piano); Keter Betts (bass); Louis Hayes (drums).

Tracklist

01. Some Kinda Mean
02. All Members
03. The Old Country
04. Just Friends
05. Home
06. Deep Blue Cello
07. There Is No Greater Love
08. So Tired

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Another fine jazz pianist from Pittsburgh, Horace Parlan has excelled in styles both straight-ahead (Stanley Turrentine) and edgy (Charles Mingus). He’s a swinging, melodious hard bop player with subtle shades of blues in his approach, which perfectly suits 1960′s Speakin’ My Piece. Piece is a mellow blues-tinged bop quartet session featuring the soulful, agile, massive-toned tenor sound of fellow Pittsburgh expatriate Turrentine. There’s nothing too rambunctious here, just some dandy earthy jazz to relax and unwind to.

Tracklist

01. Wadin’
02. Up In Cynthia’s Room
03. Borderline
04. Rastus
05. Oh So Blue
06. Speakin’ My Piece
07. Rastus (Alternate Take)
08. Oh So Blue (Alternate Take)

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